All-Chinese Final At The Women's World Championship
The final of the Women's World Chess Championship will be an all-Chinese affair after the Indian Humpy Koneru was knocked out in the semi-finals by 16-year old Hou Yifan.
Hou Yifan played a superb endgame to win game 1, and then drew game 2 to advance to the final. The same two players met in the semi-finals of the last championship in 2008, with Yifan also winning.
Her opponent in the final will be the conqueror of the current champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, Ruan Lufei (pictured). Lufei beat her compatriot Zhao Xue in their second tiebreak game to reach the final.
So the new women's world chess champion will either be the second highest ranked player in the event, the 16-year old Hou Yifan, or the outsider, the 16th seed Ruan Lufei who beat the previous champ.
The final is over four games, from 20-23 December, with tie-breaks on the 24 December if needed. Games start at 15:00 local time in Turkey.
| Name | Nat | Elo | G1 | G2 | Rp1 | Rp2 | Bz1 | Bz2 | SD | Total |
| Rd 5 Match 1 | ||||||||||
| Ruan, Lufei | CHN | 2480 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 2½ | |||
| Zhao, Xue | CHN | 2474 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1½ | |||
| Rd 5 Match 2 | ||||||||||
| Koneru, Humpy | IND | 2600 | 0 | ½ | ½ | |||||
| Hou, Yifan | CHN | 2591 | 1 | ½ | 1½ |
A relaxed Hou Yifan before her victorious game with Humpy Koneru
Pictures from the official website.
